Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is not only NIS’ strategic objective, it is a fundamental practice we keep perfecting seeking to upgrade the quality of life in the community, where we operate, develop human resources and preserve the natural ones.

Together for the Community

Careers

NIS is a company with an up-to-date approach in business, with special focus on employees, the main factor of success and the gained status of the most respectable company in the Balkans. A policy has been defined to attract, gain, develop, keep and reward the right people, contributing to achieving the company’s targets.

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Environmental Responsibility

Sustainable environmental management within NIS comprises delivery of equipment revamp projects and those aimed at reducing the pollution of air, soil, water and ground water, reclamation and re-cultivation of polluted areas (historical pollution), environmental monitoring, energy efficiency boost and increased use of renewable sources of energy and many others.

Air

As a socially responsible company, NIS monitors its emissions of pollutants in line with the requirements of legislation and internal normative and methodological documents. For this purpose, it conducts regular monitoring of the emission of air pollutants, with a series of measures aimed at reducing these emissions are applied in accordance with results and set objectives.

As process furnaces in plants and boilers use combustion of fossil fuels -heating oils and natural gas, basic pollutants, monitoring is organised throughout the year. Amounts of emitted SO2, NOX and PM (particulate matter) are.

For purpose of corporate social responsibility, the Company implements measures for reducing CO2 emissions by implementing projects to construct cogeneration power plants. These use associated gas, which was previously burned in flares, and now is used for the production of heat and electricity.

In 2016, an increased amount of CO2 was separated in the amine plant in the Oil and Gas Preparation and Transport Unit in Elemir, which was then transported and injected into the Rusanda deposit (injected 50,563,620 m3 of CO2) for the purpose of maintaining deposit pressure and increasing production.

The Company particularly protects its consumers. In order to reduce environmental impact, NIS produces and sells AdBlue, a 32.5 percent aqueous urea solution used as an agent for reducing certain vehicle exhaust gases, notably nitrogen oxide, by converting it into the harmless gas nitrogen. Nitrogen oxides are hazardous both for the environment and human health. AdBlue is stored in a special vehicle tank, from which it is injected into the exhaust gas treatment device, the so-called SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) system.

The project for constructing the amine plant within the production complex of the Oil and Gas Preparation and Transport Unit in Elemir was commenced in September 2013 and implemented in 2016. All the necessary permits from state authorities were obtained for operation of the newly built plant, which will reduce CO2 quantities in gas produced in NIS to a level of 3 percent,
corresponding to the technical requirements for its use in the national gas distribution network of Serbia. Operation of the new plant in Elemir enables harmonisation of gas quality for delivery to the transmission system, increases gas production and levels of efficiency of Company’s oil and gas deposits by maintaining deposit pressure and, additionally, protecting the environment.

Water

The use of water resources is a prerequisite for the production and technological processes; for steam production, cooling systems, fire protection provision, cleaning vehicles and equipment and for sanitary purposes. The Company also has processes for bottling spring water and producing refreshing drinks.

Total captured water for Company’s needs decreased by 8 percent compared with 2015, due to a reduction in capturing surface water by 14 percent.

A responsible attitude towards water resources is measured not only on the basis of quantity, but also according to its origin and quality. With the use of water from the least sensitive resource, the Company preserves water intended for public water supplies, food industries and agricultural irrigation.

Waste water

The total quantity of waste water is at the same level as in the previous year. The quality of treated waste water is controlled in accordance with legal regulations, and testing is conducted by independent authorised and accredited laboratories.

By the end of 2016, a total of 306 waste water treatment facilities were registered in the Company. In 2016, seven separators for oily atmospheric water were installed on the fuel supply stations in “Sales and Distribution“, i.e. waste water is treated in 286 units before it is being discharged.

The quality of treated waste water is tested in accordance with the prescribed schedule, according to the type and quantity of waste water and type of recipient, according to the Plans for environmental monitoring in certain NIS organisational units. At an annual level, independent authorised and accredited laboratories sample and test treated waste water at around 300 measuring points, creating more than 10,000 individual results.

Waste

Waste management in the Company is in the general interest of the society. Audits of internal normative and methodological documents were conducted to harmonise them with amendments to the Law on Waste Management and improved monitoring of waste flows.

As a socially responsible company, NIS delivers waste only to the operators with waste management licences obtained from the competent authorities of the Republic of Serbia. In 2016, 12 controls of operators were conducted to ensure that waste was disposed of in compliance with the law and in accordance with the conditions defined in operators’ licences.

Quantities of waste generated are regularly recorded in Daily Waste Records kept by waste generators – DWR 1 Form, while total quantities of generated and disposed-of waste are reported to the Environmental Protection Agency through their information system.

The waste management process was significantly improved by the introduction of a new concept of contracting waste disposal involving signing umbrella agreements for the disposal of specific types of waste. Such a method of contracting considerably accelerated the waste management process, ensuring shorter procurement times for waste disposal services, reduced costs and faster and more efficient removal of waste from sites.

Soil

In 2016, activities relating to historic pollution remediation, restoring agricultural land to its original state and eliminating the risk of pollution of land, groundwater and air were continued.

A total of 21 primary mud pits, 13,339 m2 in surface, were remediated. Of this total, 11 pits with a total area of 7,865 m2 result from historical pollution, while 10 remediated pits, in the total area of 5,474 m2, were created in 2016.

Thus, the total of remediated primary mud pits increased to 171, and the total area of re-cultivated land amounts to 119,365 m2, i.e. almost 12 ha.

Fuel

In the wake of the completion of the first stage of revamping, the Pančevo Refinery NIS has completely switched to the production of Euro-5 standard fuel. Currently, NIS’ revamped processing complex produces top quality fuel and continuously expands its product range. Today, NIS offer to the market includes motor gasoline with best characteristics with 95, 98 and 100 octanes and Diesel-fuel of premium quality. The improved efficiency of the fuel production process is accompanied by a rigorous environmental safety control.

Environmental Accidents

In 2016, NIS additionally improved accident response procedures. All environmental accidents were effectively mediated and all environmental consequences were eliminated. The number of environmental accidents reduced considerably (71 percent) compared to 2015. In 2016, a total 16 environmental accidents were registered, compared with 55 in 2015.

In accordance with the internal classification of HSE events in the Company, all HSE events are divided into four groups: major, medium, minor and potential events. According to the classification, all environmental accidents in 2016 were classified as minor events.

Impact on biodiversity

As a socially responsible company, NIS pays special attention to environmental
protection. In accordance with such strategic commitment, all company’s activities are conducted in accordance with applicable legal regulations and permits issued by the competent authorities.

The Company obtains the opinions and requirements of competent authorities (Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia and Institute for Nature Protection of Vojvodina Province), which make an integral part of the studies on the assessment of environmental impact of the project. It also conducts prescribed measures and monitors environmental impacts by identifying the “zero“ status and implementing monitoring.